Video game to TV/film adaptations are usually pretty, pretty bad. There are a few outliers but the one that everyone has been hoping will really shine is Netflix’s The Witcher. Granted, they’re not directly adapting the games and will follow closer to the books they’re based on but fans of the games still hold Geralt closely to their hearts.
After seemingly years of teases, news of casting, script updates, and set photos, we finally have a trailer! At San Diego Comic-Con, Netflix dropped the first trailer for The Witcher starring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. The trailer makes it very clear that this is indeed based off the books as it doesn’t even mention the games but does make note of the novels.
“What’s great about The Witcher is that it’s so much more than a fantasy,” showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich said on a Comic-Con panel. “Really it’s a story about a family.”
“I would call it an addition to the books. We honor the books but we got to give the characters a little more breathing room,” Hissrich said.
Fans will also notice differences in the looks of certain characters, the fact Geralt only carries one sword as opposed to two, and more. Regardless of how close or far it is from the games or books, it looks pretty damn good. The instant comparison being made on social media is how it looks like it could be Netflix’s own Game of Thrones, which certainly seems plausible.
As for what the actual story is in The Witcher show, it’s still kind of a mystery as the two-minute-long trailer manages to be quite vague. We see the power of Yennerfer, get some insight into how elves fit into the world, see Geralt cutting people up as he does, and hear whispers of the potential of Ciri.
“She’s had a very sheltered upbringing and as a result, she’s incredibly naive to what the real world is,” said Ciri actress Freya Allan. “A huge part of her journey is putting herself in other people’s shoes. It’s clear from the start that she has this might and drive but she has to find a new kind of drive to look past the horrific things she sees. It’s a journey of discovery.”
There’s currently no firm release date for The Witcher but it is slated to release sometime in 2019.
